WAUCONDA -- Coming into this season, Crystal Lake South sophomore midfielder Tyler Getzinger knew he had some big shoes to fill.

Of course, he had seen those shoes many times in his life. That’s because the footwear belonged to his big brother, Nikolas Getzinger, a four-year midfield varsity starter, who tallied 53 goals over his career and earned 2017 Chicagoland Soccer All-State team recognition.

During Saturday’s Alonso Sanchez Memorial Tournament final in Wauconda, with the score tied at 1, the younger Getzinger’s hustle helped earn the Gators a free kick 25 yards out in the middle of the field.

Coach Brian Allen yelled out “It’s yours, Ty, you earned it.”

The sophomore, wearing number 19, used his own footwear to make an impact. His sweet strike swung left and whistled to the right of Wauconda goalie Preston Chartier into the bottom left corner of the net. The masterful execution of the set piece put Crystal Lake South, ranked ninth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, firmly in control as they took the tourney title with their second-consecutive 4-1 victory.

“I saw the wall, I saw the position of the goalie,” Getzinger, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the match, said. “I knew I had to get it up and over and to get over to one side. I found the left side open, and I put it away.”

When asked what he would tell his brother about the goal, Getzinger replied “I will tell him that I’m keeping the Getzinger legacy alive.”

“Ty’s kick, holy cow,” said Allen. “What a strike and in a key moment that really turned the complexion of the game in terms of momentum.”

As sweet as the go-ahead free kick was, the second half saw another sublime set piece pulled off by Crystal Lake South (5-0-1). In the 44th minute, senior midfielder Ryan Coughlin stood over a 27-yard in-swinging opportunity on the far left side. One of the players designed to crash the net was junior forward Alex Canfield. Coughlin drilled a low line drive into the 18, which Canfield flicked home after it one-hopped the turf to give the Gators a two-goal cushion.

“Coach Allen, before I hit the delivery, gave me instructions,” Coughlin said. “Luckily, I did exactly what he wanted, and Alex was right there on the end of it.”

Canfield, who also notched the Gators’ fourth goal in the 51st minute, gave the service high praise when recalling his second of three total goals in the tournament.

“It was nearly perfect,” he said. “He (Ryan Coughlin) hit it exactly the way coach said to, and it skipped perfectly. I got a little tap on it and able to finish.”

Credit is also due to Crystal Lake South’s game-tying goal in the 16th minute, which also originated from a free kick. Senior defender Andrew Edge stood over the ball on the right hash of the field 50 yards out. Edge delivered a high ball towards a crashing Getzinger and Canfield. Both players got a touch to the ball before it fell inside the six to freshman midfielder Tom Coughlin, who continued his sensational tournament by slotting it in the bottom right corner.

“Every time he touches the ball, it seems it is going to be something special,” said Ryan Coughlin of his brother. “Every time, it puts a big smile on his face because he is my brother.”

Senior midfielder Jack Wruck says even though some of the players have been on a squad a short time, they are familiar.

“I have known Ty (Getzinger) forever,” he said. “I have played with Tom his whole soccer life, backyard soccer and such. I feel like I know their styles, and we mesh really well together. We will also get a boost with Ricky (Cristante) returning. We all know our playing styles and how to lean on each other.”

Tournament hosts Wauconda (2-2-0) took home second place honors with impressive wins earlier in the week over North Chicago and McHenry. The Bulldogs drew first blood in the fourth minute of the contest with terrific teamwork. Sophomore midfielder Cristopher Zavaleta started the build-up on the left side and made a short pass to fellow midfielder, senior David Ramirez. Ramirez’s left-footed drive from the 18 hit a Gator and deflected to the other side of the field. Senior midfielder Chase Hayden took possession and found junior forward Ulysses Ruiz who blasted a shot from eight yards away past Gator keeper Matt McCaleb.

“Due to the weather, we were forced to play three games in three days,” said Wauconda head coach Tim Miller. “We also had a couple of injuries off the bat, so our bench was a little depleted.

“As far as the game, we started really quickly and had the run of play. We gave Crystal Lake South too many set pieces inside our own third, and we didn’t defend them well.”

Miller was impressed with the build-up that led to the early goal.

“We find our wide players, and in our system we encourage the players to be aggressive and go at people in the final third,” he said. “All of our goals have come from finding our wide players. Our players love that style and thrive on putting defenses in high-pressure situations.”

The style of play was quickly noted by the Crystal Lake South defense, and they made the necessary adjustments to prevent additional quality chances for the hosts.

“We made sure we kept up our communication,” said Edge. “We kept talking identifying where the forwards were and had our wingers drop back to help, but overall it was a team effort.”

“Conceding one goal in the first five minutes is not our style,” coach Allen added. “I think we found a lot of our identity and played a much better brand of soccer. We conceded early, but we didn’t even flinch. We knew what we could do and started making smarter decisions, and they were rewarded in the end.”

Coach Allen was pleased that the early goal didn’t produce a similar result as one year ago. In last year’s Rigby tournament final at Johnsburg, the Gators fell behind to Hampshire early and never recovered, losing 2-0.

“It all comes back to that leadership mentality and the younger players buying into playing our style," he said. “It is really fun to watch.”

It is also fun, one year later, to bring home a first place plaque.

“Winning championships never gets old,” said Ryan Coughlin. “Coming here, just playing our hearts out. I’m just so happy.”